Carrie got to come home Wednesday. Its been wonderful!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Dear Santa
How bout it Santa? All I want for Christmas is my baby girl home with us.
All we are working on now is eating, she gets really worn out and is very hard to wake up. If we can get her to take all her feedings by mouth, she goes home.
Also, right after she was born, we thought she might have Down Syndrome and the doctor thought she might too. A test was sent off the day after she was born and it came back positive. We were pretty sure she did or does but it was nice to get the test back to confirm what we were feeling. We are convinced this will be a wonderful and good thing for our family, challenging at times, but wonderful.
We are so excited to get her home and be able to have our family in one place again and to be able to love on her there and have James and Katelynn know and love her too.
James and Katelynn are excited for Christmas, no presents under the tree yet, we want them to be opened on Christmas. I am excited for Christmas this year because they are going to love it and we won't be rushed at all and can take it easy.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Carrie Jean..a few pictures
Wednesday December 7-no more ventilator!
Thursday December 8-2 less sensors, no art line and a bow!
Thursday December 8-Trevor holding Carrie, tonight she did much better being held than last night. Yesterday her oxygen levels dropped while we were holding her.
She makes the cutest little scrunched up faces
Early Sunday morning 
Here Carrie is with all of her gear, thankfully most of it is gone now.We have a baby!
Our little Carrie Jean was born early Sunday morning. She was 6 lbs. 14 oz and 20 1/2 inches long and a beautiful sweet little baby girl. She had trouble keeping her oxygen levels up after she was born, so they took her off to the NICU. She was very sick and they had all sorts of tubes and wires and machines hooked up to her. Sunday was very scary and we really could have lost her. I don't think I realized how serious things were until they started getting better. The doctor on call and the nurses kept trying different things and finally got her stabilized, I've been so grateful for them. Also, I am so grateful for modern medicine! She has been slowly improving and may come home at the end of next week. It's so weird and hard to not be able hold and love on her. Sunday I got to hold her for maybe 30 minutes before she went to the NICU and total holding time since then has been probably 30 minutes. But we are getting to hold her now. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we could only look and barely touch. But now we can hold her for a little while once a day-that feels so good! She is not on a ventilator anymore, no more nitric oxide, no more blood pressure medicines, fewer monitors, and eating through a tube instead of just an iv. Tomorrow she may get to try a bottle and if that goes well, I may be able to nurse her soon. We are anxious for her to get better and be able to bring her home and meet her big brother and sister.
Here she is before all of her machines got hooked up.
Bathtime! This is Carrie today being a little bit more alert and sort of awake.
And here she is right after she was born.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A few thoughts..
I was up late reading a woman's blog who is also pregnant with her third child. It made me think about this pregnancy and some of the thoughts that have been swirling around in my head lately. I am 35 weeks pregnant. If this baby were to follow the pattern from James to Katelynn, I would be in the hospital in the next 24 hours holding a brand new 5 week early baby trying to enjoy and remember all of the first days that I can with our new babe. And I would know what I am having and we would HAVE TO decide on a name, something that has been very hard this time around.
I also was thinking about my pregnancies and the similarities between them. I start getting sick around 9 weeks. And I am sick, not so sick that I need an IV or that I go to the hospital, but sick enough that I wonder if I will make it(or my family for that matter) through the next 13 weeks or so until the nausea subsides. I think about how many months that is and tell myself, if I can make it through August I will be okay and that month always seems SO far away. I wonder if I will be able to do everything that is required of me-mainly make sure my other children are fed, diapered and at least in clothes throughout the day. And I am tired. I start to feel better around week 20 and have a good little while. Sometime towards the end, I start getting sick again. But this time of being sick I know will end much sooner and with a grand prize-thank goodness!
With James I knew he was coming early, I didn't know how early, just knew that he would be early. It was a wonderful surprise going to the hospital that night and finding out we wouldn't be leaving the hospital without our baby.
With Katelynn, I knew she would be early too. I didn't think it would be as early as she came, but she came. She was ready too.
They both would have been really good sized babies if they had come around their due date.
This time I have been getting progesterone shots in the hopes that my baby would stay in a little longer. We stopped those last week because I have been having reactions to the shots. We'll see soon enough if they made any difference.
I have a feeling this one will be early too, not too early I hope, but we will see. These babies definitely come when they want to.
Also, a few other things. My babies so far have come fast. James was born three hours after my water broke, after only 2 maybe 3 pushes. Katelynn came after 4 hours-I was very grateful for the epidural which helped to hold labor pains back long enough so that she could get all the medication needed just in case I was Group B positive. This time I am debating whether or not to get an epidural-but whatever I decide, I want to be satisfied with the decision I make and not feel like my labor is any less miraculous than the lady down the hall who is screaming her head off because she didn't get an epidural.
Katelynn's story (short version)
I had had some contractions at home and decided we needed to get to the hospital soon in case the baby came before I got enough antibiotics pumped in and before the pains got too awful. I got to the hospital, got an epidural, laid in bed and watched the contractions go crazy, slept, talked to Trevor, watched Trevor eat candy and treats, 4 hours later after two pushes, I held my sweet Katelynn. And because she was 4 weeks early they took her to the NICU fairly quickly after that and I had to go there to see her for a day and a half.
After writing that, I remember all the emotions of that day and it was miraculous and wonderful. How in the early morning hours, I remember a very distinct feeling or impression that Trevor's mom, who only 4 months before had died in an accident, was with our precious girl giving her last minute words of wisdom and encouragement and loving her before she made her way to our family. And I hope that Katelynn(and James and all my children) always knows that they have a whole other group of people who are cheering for them and who want them to make it and who love them more than they know.
I remember worrying and wondering if she would be okay because she was a little early and hoping that she would be and feeling so grateful when I heard her cries because her lungs were okay.
And I remembered the blessing Trevor had given me at home before we went to the hospital that said "all things would work themselves out in time" and I held to that when I started worrying too much. And when it was time to push, I was very excited and anxious to see our precious girl. Then I was so excited that James would get to meet her. And I was anxious to be able to keep her in our room instead of making the very short trip to the NICU to feed her every two hours.
Writing these random thoughts down, I feel better and hope that sleep will come quickly now. No matter how my next labor story goes, it is still miraculous and worthy to be recorded and remembered and shared. And if my babies come early and fast and are okay, its okay that I didn't have to wait an extra 5 or 6 or even 7 weeks.
All that said, I am excited to meet this new babe and have another child running around our home driving us crazy and have another little one to love. We will be posting pictures when the time comes, hopefully not in the next 24 hours. :)
I also was thinking about my pregnancies and the similarities between them. I start getting sick around 9 weeks. And I am sick, not so sick that I need an IV or that I go to the hospital, but sick enough that I wonder if I will make it(or my family for that matter) through the next 13 weeks or so until the nausea subsides. I think about how many months that is and tell myself, if I can make it through August I will be okay and that month always seems SO far away. I wonder if I will be able to do everything that is required of me-mainly make sure my other children are fed, diapered and at least in clothes throughout the day. And I am tired. I start to feel better around week 20 and have a good little while. Sometime towards the end, I start getting sick again. But this time of being sick I know will end much sooner and with a grand prize-thank goodness!
With James I knew he was coming early, I didn't know how early, just knew that he would be early. It was a wonderful surprise going to the hospital that night and finding out we wouldn't be leaving the hospital without our baby.
With Katelynn, I knew she would be early too. I didn't think it would be as early as she came, but she came. She was ready too.
They both would have been really good sized babies if they had come around their due date.
This time I have been getting progesterone shots in the hopes that my baby would stay in a little longer. We stopped those last week because I have been having reactions to the shots. We'll see soon enough if they made any difference.
I have a feeling this one will be early too, not too early I hope, but we will see. These babies definitely come when they want to.
Also, a few other things. My babies so far have come fast. James was born three hours after my water broke, after only 2 maybe 3 pushes. Katelynn came after 4 hours-I was very grateful for the epidural which helped to hold labor pains back long enough so that she could get all the medication needed just in case I was Group B positive. This time I am debating whether or not to get an epidural-but whatever I decide, I want to be satisfied with the decision I make and not feel like my labor is any less miraculous than the lady down the hall who is screaming her head off because she didn't get an epidural.
Katelynn's story (short version)
I had had some contractions at home and decided we needed to get to the hospital soon in case the baby came before I got enough antibiotics pumped in and before the pains got too awful. I got to the hospital, got an epidural, laid in bed and watched the contractions go crazy, slept, talked to Trevor, watched Trevor eat candy and treats, 4 hours later after two pushes, I held my sweet Katelynn. And because she was 4 weeks early they took her to the NICU fairly quickly after that and I had to go there to see her for a day and a half.
After writing that, I remember all the emotions of that day and it was miraculous and wonderful. How in the early morning hours, I remember a very distinct feeling or impression that Trevor's mom, who only 4 months before had died in an accident, was with our precious girl giving her last minute words of wisdom and encouragement and loving her before she made her way to our family. And I hope that Katelynn(and James and all my children) always knows that they have a whole other group of people who are cheering for them and who want them to make it and who love them more than they know.
I remember worrying and wondering if she would be okay because she was a little early and hoping that she would be and feeling so grateful when I heard her cries because her lungs were okay.
And I remembered the blessing Trevor had given me at home before we went to the hospital that said "all things would work themselves out in time" and I held to that when I started worrying too much. And when it was time to push, I was very excited and anxious to see our precious girl. Then I was so excited that James would get to meet her. And I was anxious to be able to keep her in our room instead of making the very short trip to the NICU to feed her every two hours.
Writing these random thoughts down, I feel better and hope that sleep will come quickly now. No matter how my next labor story goes, it is still miraculous and worthy to be recorded and remembered and shared. And if my babies come early and fast and are okay, its okay that I didn't have to wait an extra 5 or 6 or even 7 weeks.
All that said, I am excited to meet this new babe and have another child running around our home driving us crazy and have another little one to love. We will be posting pictures when the time comes, hopefully not in the next 24 hours. :)
Friday, November 18, 2011
A few more!
We left Katelynn and James on the couch to watch a movie. They got quiet and when we went to check on them, we found a beautiful thing-they were both sleeping!
Trevor and the kids carved a spider on our pumpkin this year. Which reminds me, its still on our front porch, maybe we'll remember next trash day. Anyway they had a great time and we cooked the pumpkin seeds and ate them with dinner the next night. I think that might be all that James ate that night.
Also one of the ways I get time to clean up a little is to put them in the bath for a little while. They love bubbles, the more the better!
Ooh yes and lately we've been praying for the grasshoppers and ladybugs, at James request. Well the other day, much to my surprise, James caught 5 of them! They are in a jar in our house. What do you feed ladybugs? I'm not sure but we better figure it out fast!
Also we're seeing lots of Christmas stuff pop up everywhere, which I don't mind, and tonight we had to get a picture it two in front of the giant Christmas tree.
Halloween and leaves
We had a Spiderman and a ladybug for Halloween this year. They had a good time and really enjoyed their treats.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Here we go again...
Just downloaded an app for my phone that will let me blog. I keep using my twitter account as a sort if journal-to remember little things during the day. Let's see if this is just as easy.
Countdown to baby #3-less than 7 weeks! That's your Christmas countdown too!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
cake, aprons, mud, & skirt
This is the finished birthday cake! It was fun to do-not the easiest cake I've ever made. Fondant is very different from regular frosting. James LOVED it though. I finished it while he was sleeping and so he woke up to it done and was so excited. He kept saying, Choo, mommy over and over. And because he loved it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I haven't said much about Katelynn. She will be one in a month. Weird. But good. I'm so glad she's in our family. What a happy girl she is-except when she is tired, being wrestled around by her brother or teething. She will just sit and laugh sometimes and it's an infectious laugh. She is getting braver about trying to stand up, is crawling all over and just had her 8th tooth pop through. She is really good at saying Dad and gets so excited when Trevor comes home.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Instead of watching the superbowl.......
I've decided to update a little bit. A week from today James will turn 3! We have been looking at train cakes and I think we found one to make for the Bday! We saved it and look at it on the computer at least once a day. It's fun to have a little one old enough to start getting excited about things! He wants to have a little party and it has been fun to talk about that. His eyes get bigger and sparklier with every detail we add. This is our crazy birthday time. James' birthday is February 13, Trevor's 3 weeks exactly later, Katelynn 's 12 days later , and then mine is about 19 days later-that doesn't include all of the family birthdays that don't live in our house. So this is our celebration time-these birthdays are part of what helps to get through winter. One of my favorite things about February is that March is next!
This is the cake I want to make-it will be fun to try it out.
Every winter I get the sewing bug bad. For Christmas, I made a lot of things-it was very fun, but I didn't take pictures of what I made, but I had a lot of fun making them. I've been trying out some new patterns and fun things-mostly for my babies. Yesterday I went to the library and checked out 6 books with lots of pictures of things to sew and make. I like to look at them to. This is a hobby that I hope I keep working on even with little ones! The good news is that JoAnn's is opening a new and bigger store on March 11-that is going to be a good day. Sometimes I think about trying to sell the things I make so I can buy more stuff to make them with. I have the internet at home now, so I might try soon. Only problem is that it feels like there are a bazillion people selling what they make online. So we'll see.
In other news, Katelynn is starting to stand up! on her own! So she's done it less than 10 times total-but she's doing it! And getting excited about it! And so am I! She is also learning to play fun peek a boo games with all sorts of stuff-blankets, pans, toys, bibs, etc. I like it.
This past week, Trevor got an award for Scouting-it's called the District Award of Merit. Only one person from each zone can get it and it's the highest award the district can give. He has done so much with Scouts, especially this past year and I'm proud of him. And the night of the Scout banquet he brought home flowers for me to tell me thank you for the sacrifices our family has had to make so he could do everything he has with Scouts. I was very touched that he would remember those things on his night. I also enjoyed the prime rib dinner they served and enjoyed they had a little extra so I got seconds. It was good. Also we got to bring home some good salad dressing-two bottles of it. They were our trophies for the night. And it was fun to go somewhere with just him. Grandma and Grandpa Clemons came up from Pocatello to be there for it and that was very nice of them, we were glad they could be there.
Oh and if you were my facebook friend and now you're not, its not because I don't like you anymore, most likely I still do like you. I just deleted all friends except the ones I am related to. If I'm related to you and I did delete you, I was just clicking away and I may have accidently clicked someone I didn't mean to-let me know. I was going to get rid of it totally, but I decided that it's a good way to keep in touch with my family. I also got rid of some of the weird email mailing lists I am on. It's nice to feel a little less cluttered.
Well now the part you've all been waiting for.....PICTURES!
Every winter I get the sewing bug bad. For Christmas, I made a lot of things-it was very fun, but I didn't take pictures of what I made, but I had a lot of fun making them. I've been trying out some new patterns and fun things-mostly for my babies. Yesterday I went to the library and checked out 6 books with lots of pictures of things to sew and make. I like to look at them to. This is a hobby that I hope I keep working on even with little ones! The good news is that JoAnn's is opening a new and bigger store on March 11-that is going to be a good day. Sometimes I think about trying to sell the things I make so I can buy more stuff to make them with. I have the internet at home now, so I might try soon. Only problem is that it feels like there are a bazillion people selling what they make online. So we'll see.
In other news, Katelynn is starting to stand up! on her own! So she's done it less than 10 times total-but she's doing it! And getting excited about it! And so am I! She is also learning to play fun peek a boo games with all sorts of stuff-blankets, pans, toys, bibs, etc. I like it.
This past week, Trevor got an award for Scouting-it's called the District Award of Merit. Only one person from each zone can get it and it's the highest award the district can give. He has done so much with Scouts, especially this past year and I'm proud of him. And the night of the Scout banquet he brought home flowers for me to tell me thank you for the sacrifices our family has had to make so he could do everything he has with Scouts. I was very touched that he would remember those things on his night. I also enjoyed the prime rib dinner they served and enjoyed they had a little extra so I got seconds. It was good. Also we got to bring home some good salad dressing-two bottles of it. They were our trophies for the night. And it was fun to go somewhere with just him. Grandma and Grandpa Clemons came up from Pocatello to be there for it and that was very nice of them, we were glad they could be there.
Oh and if you were my facebook friend and now you're not, its not because I don't like you anymore, most likely I still do like you. I just deleted all friends except the ones I am related to. If I'm related to you and I did delete you, I was just clicking away and I may have accidently clicked someone I didn't mean to-let me know. I was going to get rid of it totally, but I decided that it's a good way to keep in touch with my family. I also got rid of some of the weird email mailing lists I am on. It's nice to feel a little less cluttered.
Well now the part you've all been waiting for.....PICTURES!
Katelynn's 1st Christmas morning! We woke her up!
Santa brought Katelynn a Sweetpea doll for Christmas
James and Katelynn on Christmas Eve. Occasionally I like to put rollers in her hair-for fun. And her hair is long enough that it actually curls after about 20-30 minutes in her hair!
On our way to go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve
Look what Santa brought for James! My favorite one is the big football toybox-I really owe Santa for that one. His room is much easier to keep clean now.
opening pajamas on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve steak-There's Texas in this little gal!
It looks a little like he just burped or is in the process of doing so-so proud of my boy.
Our Christmas Eve spread
Sunday before Christmas
Our living room after Santa came
My handsome bearded man
Katelynn-awake now-Christmas morning
Lexi, Katelynn, James, and Grandpa Mike on Christmas morn before our flight to Kansas!
Bryson with Katelynn. Bryson was really good with Katelynn-he's a great uncle!
While we were in Pittsburg, Bryson got baptized. I was so glad our family could be there for it
Mom, Dad, & Bryson
Aunt Katy with her niece and nephews!
2 cousins
Gavin, James, & Katelynn at Grandma and Grandpa Browns
Gavin-5 months and Katelynn 9 months!
looking at books together in James' bedroom
Trevor and I at his Scout banquet
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